FISHERY BULLETIN; VOL, 77. NO 4 



Pearl and Hermes Reef. Edward Shallen- 

 berger reported seeing a spinner dolphin school at 

 this location in the fall of 1978, entering the cen- 

 tral lagoon during the day. 



Necker Island. On 13 September 1971, 10.2 mi 

 east-southeast of Necker Island at 1600 h, a school 

 of about 30 spinner dolphins was seen. 



The following localities in the northwest 

 Hawaiian chain were visited without seeing spin- 

 ner dolphins; Salmon Bank, Lisianski Island, 

 Laysan Island, Gardner Pinnacles, and Nihoa Is- 

 land. Five to 10 animals that may have been spin- 

 ner dolphins were seen 18.5 mi, 134° T from the 

 wreck at Maro Reef, by Ens. Albert Sarra, U.S. 

 Coast Guard, on 9 September 1971. 



Niihau Island. Spinner dolphins have been 

 sighted at Kaumuhonu Bay (60 + animals) at the 

 southwest tip of the island, between Lehua Island 

 and Kikepa Point (20 + animals); smaller schools 

 (15 -I- each) have been noted along the southeast 

 shore near Pueo Point and on the northwest shore 

 at Nonopapa. The Nonopapa record was of a 

 traveling school that moved close to shore along 

 perhaps half of the northwestern coast. 



Kauai Island. Spinner dolphin schools were 

 found around Kauai Island at 3-16 km intervals, 

 except along its western coast. The largest schools 

 were estimated at 150 animals on the Napali 

 coast, a 70-80 animal school just north of Kahala 

 Point, and an estimated 60 animal school between 

 Hanapepe and Kaumakani. Smaller schools, scat- 

 tered along the south and east coasts, averaged 

 about 15-30 animals. The only obvious difference 

 between the vacant coast and the occupied areas is 

 that vacant areas have much narrower, shallow 

 water shelves devoid of deep indentations in the 

 coastline. 



mals seen in this area have been estimated to 

 number from 40 to 250 individuals. Small schools 

 have been seen near Kahana Bay and Waimea 

 Bay. Because this is the windward coast, subject to 

 almost constant tradewinds, little collecting effort 

 has been expended there and dolphins may be 

 more common than our records indicate. A rela- 

 tively narrow shelf (1.6 km) exists along the 

 Waianae coast except at Kaena and Barber's 

 Points where it broadens considerably. The shelf 

 around the remainder of the island is much 

 broader, averaging about 4 km, and is marked on 

 the northwest and northeastern coasts by a fring- 

 ing reef. 



Molokai-Lanai-Kahoolawe-Maui . Geologically 

 this four-island complex has resulted from one 

 series of volcanic eruptions, producing islands 

 with interconnnecting shallow areas and chan- 

 nels. Spinner schools have been seen at several 

 locations around the margins of this complex, but 

 seem rather seldom to travel to inshore locations 

 over extensive shallow areas such as that at 

 Lahaina Roads (Auau Channel) or over the flats 

 between Molokai and Lanai Islands (Kalohi 

 Channel). Dolphin schools in such areas would 

 have to travel 1 1 km or more from deep water to 

 reach these shorelines. 



Large spinner schools have been seen over Pen- 

 guin Bank (between western Molokai and Lanai 

 Islands), the south coast of Lanai, especially near 

 Manele Bay (40-100 animals), and along the south 

 shore of Kahoolawe, especially near Halona Point; 

 small schools were seen on the north Molokai 

 shore at Kalaupapa and Cape Halawa, along the 

 Hana coast of Maui, and at Lipoa Point on the 

 northwest end of Maui. Two records of spinner 

 dolphins accompanying humpback whales near 

 Lahaina were reported to us. The bottlenose dol- 

 phin, Tursiops sp., has often been seen with these 

 whales. 



Oahu Island. Records from the various sources 

 over 14 yr (1962-76) show that two broad areas of 

 the coast are nearly always occupied by spinner 

 dolphin schools during the day. First, along the 

 Waianae coast between Barber's Point and the 

 vicinity of Kaena Point (the west or Kona shore), 

 schools estimated between 30 and 100 animals can 

 nearly always be found close to shore during the 

 day. Second, an apparently larger school or schools 

 is often seen in the coastal area between about 

 Peeirl Harbor and Makapuu Point. Schools of ani- 



Hawaii Island. Spinner dolphin schools have 

 been found at scattered locations around the en- 

 tire periphery of the island except for the north- 

 east shore, though there are some shorter 

 stretches of coast where we have never seen 

 schools. It is not surprising, in view of the large 

 size of this island, that there are more localities of 

 regular occupancy by porpoise schools than for any 

 other island. We found seven areas of regular oc- 

 cupancy and four localities with more transient 

 occupancy. 



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